After a good night in the comfortable fast train, I arrived in Shanghai. The stay in Shanghai was very short though as I did not intend to spend much time here but just to change trains for Hangzhou. Since my next train also left from Shanghai HongQiao station, which is very far out, most of my Shanghai stay was in the metro travelling there.
Once I arrived in Hangzhou, it immediately felt different than the other cities in China I have been to. It somehow felt quieter, more relaxed and most unusual cars (including taxis) actually stopped at pedestrian crossings and traffic lights. This was already a very good start to my stay here and I was already glad having decided to come here.
Having booked a hostel right in the main pedestrian area and not far from the West Lake, meant I could enjoy the sights without having to go far. Huangzhou kind of was what I expected/hoped Xi'an would be.
Walking around the Hefang Street, Wushan Square and then West Lake area was great, it was relaxing, no hassle but had a lot of character and there was a lot to see. I enjoyed a nice enough sunset by the lake before heading back to Wushan Square, where people were out again, having fun, dancing, flying kites and generally having a good time.
This is always nice to see and a big difference from what you can see in Europe, it is just so much more civilised with everyone having fun together.
I ended up walking around and taking pictures for quite a while, it was quite cool and I was looking forward to the next morning when I could walk around the lake and see more of Hangzhou.
Love the shot of the two girls and the trees. Oh and the shapely legs in the red shorts :-).
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment Calvin!
ReplyDeleteI kind of expected you to like the one of the girl in red shorts, was what caught my attention, too. ;)